Picture Perfect
by KSlycke08
Summary: When everything seems so perfect sometimes there is a looming storm ahead. Part 5 of my 'Playing House' series. More serious


The upcoming storm in a perfect life.

Part 5 of my 'Playing House' series.

My story, their characters, 'Nuff said!

Picture Perfect

It was one of those perfect days they wished would never end.

In fact, for the first time in a long time it was one of the few days that absolutely nothing needed to be done. The cold morning was slowly fading away into a sun drenched afternoon that was neither too hot nor too cold.

And for once no one was fighting.

Outside the Brotherhood House Pietro was busy watering the lawn while Pyro, Toad and Freddy laughed and ran through the soft spray. On the front patio Gambit sat back in his chair with his feet on the railing and watched. In the great maple tree above them Piotr relaxed in its majestic boughs with his canvas and paints trying to capture their peaceful moment with oils and brushes.

In the kitchen Raven and Creed were listening to the local Jazz station and laughing their quiet laughs while they sometimes danced and remembered things only they would remember.

Occasionally the sounds from the kitchen would drift into the yard and the kids would smile too.

Inside Raven was chopping vegetables for tonight's dinner while Creed sipped his beer and looked outside. He didn't admit it but he kept a close eye on the kids and an ear to trouble.

"What?" Raven asked. She recognized his look and felt her heart drop to her stomach.

"S'Nuthin'."

"Yeah, right." She brushed off. "What is it?"

Instead of focusing on any kind of impending doom or distraction from this perfect day she tried to concentrate on cutting the vegetables. It didn't work and her face frowned in deliberation.

She should have known it wouldn't last.

"Toldja, it's nuthin'." Creed said.

Instead of explaining himself he simply grabbed her from behind and kissed her neck.

"That might work on someone else but it doesn't work on me." She said.

Like anyone else that had been around each other for far too long they knew each other too well to dismiss a glance or a tense shoulder that easily.

Trouble was going to come. That they both knew.

They just hoped it wasn't going to be today.

Behind her Creed paused.

"The kids are outside." He whispered.

"What? Now?" She laughed pushing him off. "You forget I have a knife in my hands?"

"You forget I can tell if the kids are comin'?"

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

It was a simple afternoon full of simple pleasures but for the Brotherhood this afternoon was a very long, and for some, dangerous, time coming.

After all, none of them had the most normal of upbringings and these moments were fiercely defended.

"Can't catch me!" Pyro laughed hiding behind Pietro.

He played along and sometimes sprayed the others but they were having too much fun to end it now.

"Just, like, wait, yo!" Toad bounced trying to avoid the water.

"Yeah, huff, you, huff, wait." Freddy said.

He was enjoying himself too much to stop and catch his breath so instead he chased Pyro and Toad around the lawn while he huffed and puffed trying to carry his own weight around.

"Ya'll're actin' like kids." Gambit teased.

"Dude, we _are_ kids!" Pyro reminded him.

It was more like what a bunch of nine or ten year olds would be doing but they couldn't be blamed for having their psycho-social milestones delayed and now they were making up for it.

Someone said that it was never too late to have a happy childhood and they were going to enjoy it while they could.

"Da, that you are." Piotr said climbing down from his perch in the tree. In one hand he had his painting supplies and in the other he had his canvas.

"That _we_ are, Tin Head." Pietro said tapping him lightly on the forehead. In case he had forgotten, he was a kid too. In fact, they all knew they were kids.

That's sometimes what made them do what they knew they had to do that much harder.

It's also what made times like these that much more special to them.

"Yo, what've you got there?" Toad asked.

"Nothing. It's just a painting. It's not finished yet. It's probably not even that good." Piotr said. He didn't know why but he was blushing and he absently rolled up the canvas so no one could see it.

"Yeah. All right." Toad said.

He didn't want to push it and like the rest of the kids he was afraid that if he said something wrong the magical spell of the perfect day would end.

So instead he kept his mouth shut.

Bouncing and laughing he ran into Freddy and chased him around again.

The sun was getting ready to set and the street light at the end of the driveway flickered once and then twice and then came to life while fireflies danced and hovered in the air.

"Are you guys ready for dinner?" Raven yelled from the porch.

"Ooooh! Dinner!" Freddy said.

"Besides Freddy." She laughed.

"We're coming!" Pietro said.

"Dinnertime!" Pyro yelled.

"Yeah, we'll be right there." Gambit smirked.

He stood like a sentinel on the front porch and he'd spent a little bit of time distracting the kids but he figured that he sort of owed them. It wasn't every day that all of them had this much fun and that meant Creed and Raven too.

For their part the kids didn't seem to care.

They'd had their fun too.

In fact the day didn't seem to end.

Nor did it seem to get any more perfect.

"Pyro says you have a new painting." Raven said passing the salad bowl.

The Brotherhood were sitting around the table eating dinner and like any other family they shared conversations amongst each other. It was what made their perfect day even more perfect.

Almost normal.

"Da, um, it's not finished yet." Piotr choked.

"I think I'd, I'd like... to see it sometime."

Raven didn't normally say these things but even she wasn't so stupid as to pass up an opportunity on perhaps the most perfect day of their new living arrangement to ask Piotr a question.

She didn't usually care. But, today was…different.

Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw Creed snicker and gave him a silent scowl in return.

"Like, wouldn't we all." Toad said.

"Um, as you say, Okay." Piotr replied.

Underneath the table he pulled the painting he was working on and handed it to Raven. It was still rolled up and she took her time unraveling the canvas and studying his drawing. Her eye would be drawn upward and then slope down as she looked, taking her time and choosing her reaction carefully.

Down the table from her Piotr sweated and waited.

As much as he loved to paint and write it was something altogether when he knew he was being criticized. Like a thief he chose to steal looks at his paintings or his writings in the dark without fear of public scrutiny.

He wanted desperately to keep them to himself.

"Piotr." Raven finally said. "This is really good."

"It is?" He asked. He was just surprised anyone thought anything he did was good.

"Yo! Can we see it!" Toad hopped.

"Take your turn, Toad!" Pietro said.

"I munch, wanna, munch, see." Freddy said spraying food as he spoke. As funny and kind as he could be he could also be gross sometimes.

"Yes, it is very good, Piotr. I can tell that you took some abstract from Goya and added the thick heavy brush strokes of a Van Gogh to make your own artwork."

She hadn't spent most of her early life in Vienna and Berlin without picking up a little bit of art appreciation.

"Who?" Pyro asked.

"Nevermind." Raven groaned rolling her eyes.

"I'm glad you like it." Piotr said.

"Yes, in fact I think I will put it….here."

She stood up and took the canvas to the front stairway and the empty area that was an inadvertent focal point from the front door.

"We have a crack there, too." Pietro said.

"What, are we flying?" Toad asked.

"I think that's just us."

"Holding hands?"

"It's a circle. At least I think it is."

"With people in it."

"It really is good, Piotr." Raven said looking at the painting.

Done in primary colors it was a simple circle drawn with abstracts of people inside and intertwined in an almost 3-D effect. Their arms outstretched they looked like they were touching the next circle with their heads anonymous and uplifted towards some far off distance.

"Who wants dessert?"

"Dessert?" Freddy asked.

"No way!" Toad said. He was the first one in the kitchen waiting.

It was Jell-O but that was enough to distract them and it was a mass stampede back into the kitchen where Gambit was serving the cherry gelatin into glasses.

"There's always room for Jell-O."

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

After dinner the kids insisted on playing Guitar Hero again and this time Creed and Raven agreed to join in. They didn't really want to and they couldn't believe that the kids could still be so wound up after the day they had but they played anyway.

"Miss! Miss! Miss!"

"Um, I don't think that's how 'Miss Murder' goes."

"I'm going to get it!"

"Yeah, yeah. Give it up Raven."

"Like you can do any better?"

"Don't matter to me. It's late and you got school tomorrow." Creed said.

"Awwww!" Everyone said.

"I mean it. That's it. Time for bed."

"Fine. Rematch. You and me. Recess." Raven laughed pointing at him.

It was completely juvenile but still the best ending to one of the best days they ever had at the Brotherhood House.

"Alright, alright. Guess if Vic says it's time to go to bed then I guess it is." She laughed chasing the kids upstairs.

"This has been the best day….Ever!" Pyro yelled turning on the stairs and running up to his bedroom.

In the living room Creed turned off the X-Box, the TV, the living room lights and double checked to see if the oven was off.

"Yeah, I guess it has." He said.

"It doesn't have to end now." Raven purred walking towards him.

He tried not to think about the nagging feeling crawling under his skin or that oh-so-familiar scent when the wind turned that had been following him all day as he watched her open the master bedroom door.

The kids would soon be fast asleep and would probably remember this day in their memories for as long as they lived. It would be one of their happiest memories and he tried to spare them that.

For him, he would finally make love in their bed for a change and forget everything until the morning when he would wake up warm and soft under the covers.

But for now they didn't have to know what was coming.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Is that them?"

"You've got to be fucking kiddin' me."

"Did you just see what I just saw?"

"I believe so."

"Magneto's goin' soft now or what? Just what the Hell are we supposed to do with 'em?"

"What do you propose we do?"

"We can't just let them stay here."

"Got that right."

"Logan…"

"What? You think that little psycho garden party is really gonna fit into Middle America suburbia?"

"They did not appear to be hostile or even remotely dangerous to each other or anyone else."

"Sure. That's what they want you to think."

"I understand that your own personal history …"

"And I am telling you now that this ain't gonna last. Soon'r or later the bodies are gonna start hittin' it."

"Fine. Beast, what do you think?"

"Well, while I realize that amongst them they do have the potentiality of creating havoc and destruction, they have as yet remained quite benign and subdued."

"For now."

"_And_…we know that there are at least two known international villains capable of espionage, sabotage, subversion, mass slaughter, and heinous acts of cruelty and brutality, neither Creed nor Raven have indicated that either one of them are even remotely interested in said…acts."

"Jeannie?"

"We can't just kill people just because of what they _'might'_ do." Jean Grey sighed. "Otherwise we're no better than them."


End file.
